徐

徐	U+5F90, 徐 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5F90

← 徏
[U+5F8F]

CJK Unified Ideographs

徑 →
[U+5F91]

Translingual

Han character

徐 (Kangxi radical 60, 彳+7, 10 strokes, cangjie input 竹人人一木 (HOOMD), four-corner 2829₄, composition ⿰彳余)

Derived characters

𡲰𣻄𣉹𪹘𬁊𭞃蒣

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 367, character 11
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 10110
Dae Jaweon: page 690, character 10
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 825, character 14
Unihan data for U+5F90

Chinese

simp. and trad.		徐

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 徐
Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (余) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
斜	lja, laː
茶	*rlaː
荼	rlaː, ɦlja, *l'aː
梌	rlaː, l̥ʰaː, *l'aː
搽	*rlaː
塗	rlaː, l'aː
佘	*ɦlja
賒	*hljaː
畬	hljaː, la
舍	hljaːʔ, hljaːs
捨	*hljaːʔ
騇	hljaːʔ, hljaːs
涻	*hljaːs
稌	l̥ʰaː, l̥ʰaːʔ
悇	l̥ʰaː, l̥ʰas, *las
庩	*l̥ʰaː
捈	l̥ʰaː, l'aː
途	*l'aː
酴	*l'aː
駼	*l'aː
鵌	l'aː, la
涂	l'aː, l'a
嵞	*l'aː
峹	*l'aː
筡	l'aː, l̥ʰa
蒤	*l'aː
徐	*lja
俆	*lja
敘	*ljaʔ
漵	*ljaʔ
除	l'a, l'as
篨	*rla
滁	*rla
蒢	*rla
蜍	ɦlja, la
鵨	*hljaː
瑹	*hlja
余	*la
餘	*la
艅	*la
狳	*la
雓	*la
悆	*las

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *lja): semantic 彳 (“walk slowly”) + phonetic 余 (OC *la)

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): xú (xu²)

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄩˊ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): xu²
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): ceoi⁴

(Taishan, Wiktionary): tui³
Gan (Wiktionary): qy²
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): chhì

(Hailu, HRS): ci

(Meixian, Guangdong): qi²
Jin (Wiktionary): xy¹
Northern Min (KCR): cṳ̌
Eastern Min (BUC): sṳ̀
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): sy² / su² / si² / cy²
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): chhî / sû / sîr / sî

(Teochew, Peng'im): ce⁵
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶zhi
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): si²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xú
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄩˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: syú
  - Wade–Giles: hsü²
  - Yale: syú
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyu
  - Palladius: сюй (sjuj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕy³⁵/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: xu²
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: xy
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕy²¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: ceoi⁴
  - Yale: chèuih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsoey⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: cêu⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɵy̯²¹/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: tui³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰui²²/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: qy²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰy²⁴/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhì
  - Hakka Romanization System: qi^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: qi²
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰi¹¹/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: ci
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰi⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: qi²
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡ɕʰi¹¹/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: xy¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /ɕy¹¹/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: cṳ̌
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sy²¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: sṳ̀
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sy⁵³/
Puxian Min
- (Putian, Jiangkou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: sy²
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: sṳ́
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬy¹³/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: sy²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬy²⁴/
- (Youyang)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: sy²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /θy²⁴/
- (Nanri)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: su²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬu¹³/
- (Fengting)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: si²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬi²⁴/
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: cy²
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: chṳ́
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰy¹³/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: cy²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰy²⁴/

Note:

sy2 - literary (including surname);
cy2 - vernacular.

Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan, Magong, Hsinchu, Taichung)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhî
  - Tâi-lô: tshî
  - Phofsit Daibuun: chii
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰi¹³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰi²³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei, Tainan, Yilan): /t͡sʰi²⁴/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sû
  - Tâi-lô: sû
  - Phofsit Daibuun: suu
  - IPA (Xiamen): /su²⁴/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Lukang, Sanxia, Kinmen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sîr
  - Tâi-lô: sîr
  - IPA (Lukang): /sɨ²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Kinmen): /sɯ²⁴/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sî
  - Tâi-lô: sî
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sii
  - IPA (Jinjiang, Xiamen): /si²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /si¹³/

Note:

Xiamen, Zhangzhou:
- chhî - vernacular (including surname);
- sû/sî - literary.
Quanzhou:
- chhî - vernacular;
- sîr - literary (including surname).

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: ce⁵
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshṳ̂
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɯ⁵⁵/

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶zhi
  - MiniDict: zhi^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³xxi
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ʑi²³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: si²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /si¹³/
  - Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /ɕi¹³/

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 徐
Mandarin	Beijing	/ɕy³⁵/
	Harbin	/ɕy²⁴/
	Tianjin	/ɕy⁴⁵/
	Jinan	/ɕy⁴²/
	Qingdao	/sy⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/sy⁴²/
	Xi'an	/ɕy²⁴/
	Xining	/ɕy²⁴/
	Yinchuan	/ɕy⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/ɕy⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/ɕy⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/ɕy²¹³/
	Chengdu	/ɕy³¹/
	Guiyang	/ɕi²¹/
	Kunming	/ɕi³¹/
	Nanjing	/t͡sʰy²⁴/
	Hefei	/sz̩ʷ⁵⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/ɕy¹¹/
	Pingyao	/ɕy¹³/
	Hohhot	/ɕy³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/ʑi²³/
	Suzhou	/zi¹³/
	Hangzhou	/d͡zz̩ʷ²¹³/
	Wenzhou	/zei³¹/
Hui	Shexian	/t͡ɕʰy⁴⁴/
Hui	Tunxi	/t͡sʰi⁴⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/si¹³/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/ɕy¹²/
Gan	Nanchang	/t͡ɕʰy²⁴/
Hakka	Meixian	/t͡sʰi¹¹/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/t͡sʰi¹¹/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/t͡sʰøy²¹/
	Nanning	/t͡sʰy²¹/
	Hong Kong	/t͡sʰøy²¹/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/su³⁵/ /t͡sʰi³⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/sy⁵³/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/t͡sy²¹/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/t͡sʰɯ⁵⁵/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/si³¹/

Middle Chinese: zjo

Rime
Character	徐
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	邪 (17)
Final (韻)	魚 (22)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	似魚切
Baxter	zjo
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/zɨʌ/
Pan Wuyun	/ziɔ/
Shao Rongfen	/ziɔ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/zɨə̆/
Li Rong	/ziɔ/
Wang Li	/zĭo/
Bernhard Karlgren	/zi̯wo/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xú
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ceoi⁴

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*sə.la/

(Zhengzhang): /*lja/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	徐
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xú
Middle Chinese	‹ zjo ›
Old Chinese	/*sə.la/
English	walk slowly
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	徐
Reading #	1/1
No.	15782
Phonetic component	余
Rime group	魚
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime
Old Chinese	/*lja/

Definitions

徐

slowly; quietly; calmly
composed; poised
short for 徐州 (Xúzhōu, “Xuzhou”)
a surname
徐霞客 ― Xú Xiákè ― Xu Xiake (Ming dynasty travel writer)

Compounds

不疾不徐
于徐
半老徐娘 (bànlǎoxúniáng)
城北徐公
執徐 / 执徐
巴徐 (Bāxú)
徐劉 / 徐刘 (Xúliú)
徐古 (Xúgǔ)
徐周 (Xúzhōu)
徐墩 (Xúdūn)
徐娘 (xúniáng)
徐娘半老 (xúniángbànlǎo)
徐家 (Xújiā)
徐家山 (Xújiāshān)
徐家棚 (Xújiāpéng)
徐州 (Xúzhōu)
徐庾體 / 徐庾体
徐徐 (xúxú)
徐樓 / 徐楼 (Xúlóu)
徐橋 / 徐桥 (Xúqiáo)
徐步 (xúbù)
徐母罵曹 / 徐母骂曹
徐穉置芻 / 徐穉置刍
徐緩 / 徐缓
徐行 (xúxíng)
徐風 / 徐风
徐黃 / 徐黄 (Xúhuáng)
清風徐來 / 清风徐来
紆徐 / 纡徐
緩步徐行 / 缓步徐行
舒徐
虛徐 / 虚徐
高徐 (Gāoxú)

Descendants

→ English: Xu, Hsu, Chui, Tsui, Zee, Chee

References

“徐”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
李如龙 [Li, Ru-long], 刘福铸 [Liu, Fu-zhu], 吴华英 [Wu, Hua-ying], 黄国城 [Huang, Guo-cheng] (2019) “徐”, in 莆仙方言调查报告 [Investigation Report on Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, page 139.